Marco Rubio urges Cubans toward a "discreet partnership" with the CIA, and Havana pushes back

October 24, 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, posted a message on his official X account on Friday, October 23, addressed to people seeking change in Cuba. "To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time," he wrote, pointing to "failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few" and urging them to act "through a discrete partnership with the CIA," as reported by CNN, AFP and The Guardian. The Guardian noted he appeared to mean "discreet."

The post came shortly after President Donald Trump told a rally in South Florida that his administration is considering action on Cuba. According to AFP and Euronews, the CIA then shared a Spanish-language video on X explaining how to reach the agency, advising people to use a secure network, a private browser and an email account not tied to their identity.

Cuban officials answered quickly. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío wrote on X that the U.S. had resorted to "public CIA recruitment," adding that there "must be a lot of desperation or poverty" in the agency's ranks, Cubadebate reported. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said Cuba rejects "any threat" from Washington, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the U.S. has not given up its "ambitions of domination" over the island.

Rubio, born in Miami in 1971, is the first Cuban American to serve as Secretary of State. The Guardian reported he had not spoken about Cuba in depth in public since late September.